Hannah Smith Hoghton’s maternal grandmother – presumably who she was named after. Charles Blakemore’s first wife.

Birth: about 1829 in St Albans, the 5th of 7 children. Her parents were William Marstin and Dinah Underwood.

1841 census: with her parents and four youngest siblings in Sopwell Lane

1851 census: Hannah was visiting her father who was a servant at 62 London Road. She was working as a bonnet trimming weaver. Mother was in Old London Road with her youngest daughter Mary (Mary’s interesting – never marries, lives to 88 as a visitor / boarder. Is the Else she’s with in 1921 related to oldest sister who married an Else?)

Marriage: Hannah married Charles Balkemore on the 21^st June 1852 and aged 23 in St Peter’s church, St Albans.  He was described as a weaver; her father was a labourer. Their first child, John William Hodgkins (why Hodgkins?) Blakemore was born a few months later in October, and Emily in 1855.  Marj’s Grandmother Sarah Elizabeth was born in 1857 and baptised in St Peters 30^th August 1857; Charles was listed as a policeman.   By the time of their youngest child, Amelia’s baptism on 29^th January 1860 they were living in Abbey parish; Charles was still a policeman.

The family relocated to Birmingham after that and Charles joined the fledgling Birmingham police force on 2nd January 1861.

1861 census: The family were in Willington Place, Alcester St, Deritend (almost opposite the Old Crown in Digbeth). Charles was a Police Constable, the older 3 children were “scholars” including Sarah Elizabeth who was 3.  Their 9 year and 10 year old neighbours were working so the family must have been relatively secure.

Then she died of “phthisis” (tuberculosis) and “haemoptysis” (coughing blood from resiratory tract) on 13th July 1862, leaving four children, the eldest just 9. They were living at 2 Court Blucker Street (mispelling of Blucher Street, by the NT Back to backs?); the death was registered by a neighbour who was also “present at the death”.